...The Yankees are the only team without names on their road uniform as well.

This is great because you don't have to buy a new jersey when your favorite player moves onto a new team. I have a #12 jersey when Soriano played 2nd base. If it had his name on the back, I would look a bit silly if I wore it to the ballpark, especially when the Yankees play the Cubs in the WS one of these years.

I remember when the Cubs put names on their home jersey (1993) there was some hand-wringing that it meant the Cubs were losing some of the fuzzy-wuzzy lovable fan-friendly mystique. True-blue Cubs fans have the roster memorized, you know, and shouldn't need a nametag to tell the players apart.

The classic Authentic On-Field jersey is designed with all the rigors of on-field use in mind. When you wear this jersey, you can trust that you are wearing the same design worn by the pros. From the durable double-knit fabric and authentic MLB decoration down to the detail of the authentic locker tag, you are wearing the original.

While the Jeter one is a 'replica', without the features listed above. In other words, a shirt.

I remember when the Cubs put names on their home jersey (1993) there was some hand-wringing that it meant the Cubs were losing some of the fuzzy-wuzzy lovable fan-friendly mystique. True-blue Cubs fans have the roster memorized, you know, and shouldn't need a nametag to tell the players apart.

Many of us are still bitter about it too. When you are a team as old as the Cubs and play in a park as old as Wrigley I think going the high-minded old fashioned route is pretty well justified. I'm sure it's all about selling jerseys, they want fans buying Marmol jerseys when Woody gets traded and Byrd jerseys when Lee gets traded. And no, I'm not just bitter because I have an authentic Prior jersey hanging in my closet.

The NHL mandated names on jerseys back in the mid-70s. Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard notoriously refused to comply, citing a potential drop in program sales. After being threatened with a heavy fine, he backed down, but put letters the same color as the jersey (white on white, blue on blue), making names unreadable. Then he was fined and eventually complied.

Today you can see jerseys without names when teams are wearing vintage uniforms.